A total of 40 knives were surgically removed by a team of five doctors in northern India from the stomach of a man identified as Surjeet Singh, who is said to be suffering from a psychiatric disorder.
The 42-year-old man had swallowed the knives over a period of three months. Some of the knives were folded and some were with exposed blades up to 7 inches long.
Dr. Jatinder Malholtra said the man met him last week after suffering severe pain in his stomach. But he did not tell the doctors that he had been swallowing knives.
"We found out that he had been literally eating knives after conducting diagnostic tests," Dr. Jatinder Malholtra told BBC.
"We were so nervous... a small mistake could have taken the patient's life. In my 20 years of practice, I have never seen anything like it," he added.
The doctors said Singh is recovering in the hospital in Amritsar and is out of danger now.
The doctors said the operation was a complex procedure and it took them five hours to finish the surgical process to remove the knives.
"It was a complex procedure and we had to really plan well to ensure a successful operation," Dr. Malhotra said.
Singh had managed to keep his habit secret from his family members. The doctors are now trying to find out the reason behind such an urge.
"We don't know the exact reason but it seems like he was suffering from some kind of physiological disorder. Even his family didn't know about his habit of swallowing knives," Dr. Malhotra added.
Dr. Malhotra also said that Singh has promised not to touch a knife anymore. The man is getting counselling and he will be discharged only after the entire process of treatment is complete.
